EASA announces transition period for training schools to move to Declared Training Organisations

The transition timetable to allow existing private pilot Registered Training Facilities to transfer to the new Declared Training Organisation (DTO) category, which allows much simpler oversight, has been announced by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Subject to final approval by the European Commission the process will run from 8 April 2018 to 8 April 2019 and is part of EASA’s GA roadmap to make regulation of the sector more proportionate.

If a school only offers training for private flying qualifications then the DTO category cuts down the requirements and uses a much simpler oversight regime, plus the possibility for a school to declare its activities meet the set standards rather than have to obtain a full approval.

Tony Rapson, Head of the CAA’s GA Unit, said: “We believe the move to Declared Training Organisations is a sensible and proportionate one. It means that we’ll have realistic levels of safety oversight while avoiding the need for many training schools to have to comply with the more complex and costly requirements of an Approved Training Organisation.”

More detail of the transition process to DTOs, including a consultation on the CAA charges for oversight of the organisations, will be published as a formal CAA consultation later this month.

Declaration and training syllabus forms plus detailed guidance material on how to establish and operate as a DTO will be published in early 2018 at www.caa.co.uk

AOPA is working with the CAA to make the process as straight forward as possible. We will publish any further update on this website, in the AOPA UK ENewsletter and/or the AOPA Magazine.